Leo Tolstoy

“ Kostuilin tried to get up and fell down again. He was a heavy, puffy fellow, and began to sweat profusely. The cold mist of the forest, too, had given him a chill, his feet were lacerated, and he went all to pieces. When Zhilin raised him to his feet with an effort he cried out:
"Oh! it hurts!"
Zhilin almost had a fit.
"What are you screeching for! The Tatars are quite close to us — don't you hear? "But he thought to himself: "He really is almost done for; what am I to do with him? One can't chuck a comrade, it wouldn't be right"
"Well," said he, "get up on my back. ”

“ The Tatars gathered together in a circle, and the
elder from the mountain-side joined them. They began talking, and Zhilin understood that they were trying them and debating what was to be done with them. Some said they should be sent further away into the mountains, but the elder said that they ought to be killed. Abdul, however, objected to this. "I have paid money for them," said he, "and I am going to get a ransom for them."
"They'll never pay anything at all," replied the old man, "but will only do harm. It's a sin to feed Russians. Kill them and have done with it!" ”

“ If once I sit down I shall not get up again. I can never get to the fortress to-day, but as soon as it is dawn I will lie up in the forest and at night I'll go on again."
All night he went along. The only people he encountered were two mounted Tatars, and as he saw them at a distance, he was able to hide away from them behind a tree.
The moon had already begun to wane, the dew was falling, it was close upon dawn, and still Zhilin had not got to the end of the forest. "Well," thought he, "just thirty steps more, and then I'll turn into the forest and sit down." ”

“ He does not love thy brother. [15] He bade me slay thee, but I will not slay thee, because I want to make money out of thee; and, besides, I have begun to love thee, Ivan, and so far from killing thee, I would not let thee go away at all if I hadn't given my word upon it." He laughed, and then he added in Russian: "The welfare of thee, Ivan, is the welfare of me, Abdul!"
IV.
So Zhilin lived like this for a month. In the daytime he went about the aul, or made all sorts of things with his hands, and when night came, and all was silent in the aul, he began digging inside his outhouse. ”

“ The Tatars debated together and then departed. Suddenly Zhilin heard a slight noise above his head.
He looked up, and there was Dina squatting on her haunches with her knees hunched up higher than her head; she was leaning forward, her necklaces were visible, and were swinging to and fro right over the hole. Her little eyes gleamed like tiny stars, and she drew out of her sleeve two cheese-cakes and threw them to him.
Zhilin took them and said: "Why have you been so long gone ? I have been making playthings for you. Look ! "And he began to fling them to her one by one. ”

“ All around nothing but the naked steppe — not a village, not a wayside bush.
Zhilin had galloped on in front, he had now stopped, and was waiting for the cavalcade to come up. Then he heard a horn blown in the rear, and knew that they had stopped again. Then thought Zhilin : "Why not go on by oneself without the soldiers? I've a good horse beneath me, and if I stumble upon the Tatars — I can make a bolt for it. Or shall I not go?"
He stood there considering, and up there came trotting another mounted officer, called Kostuilin, with a musket, and he said:
"Let us go on alone, Zhilin. ”

“ He cleaned a little corner of the hole, dug out a bit of clay, and made cut of it a lot of puppets. He made men and women, horses and dogs, and thought to himself, "When Dina comes I'll fling them out to her."
But on the next day there was no Dina, and Zhilin heard the trampling of horses and the noise of people passing to and fro, and he could hear that the Tatars had assembled at the mosque and were disputing and screeching and consulting about the Russians. And he also heard the voice of the old man of the mountain. ”

“ He had agreed to take five hundred roubles.
"Wait a bit," said Zhilin to the interpreter; "tell him that he must feed us well, clothe and shoe us decently, and let us be together — we shall be happier then — and take off the kolodka" He himself then looked at his master and laughed. And his master laughed likewise. He heard the interpreter out, and then said: "I will give you the best of clothing, a Circassian costume and good boots — you might be married in them. And I'll feed you like princes. And if you want to dwell together — well, you can dwell in the outhouse. ”

“ He took the thirty steps, and saw that the forest was coming to an end. He went out to the very end of it. There, qui te bright before him, as if on the palm of his hands, lay the steppe and the fortress, and to the left, quite close under the mountain-side, camp-fires were burning and smoking, and people were standing round the smouldering logs. ”

“ All the Tatars were at home now, but on the fourth day Zhilin, after dinner, beheld them assembling to go somewhither. They brought their horses, made ready, and went off, ten men in all, and the red-bearded man went too — only Abdul remained at home. There was a new moon just then, and the nights were still pretty dark.
"Now's the time," thought Zhilin; " now we must make a bolt for it" He spoke to Kostuilin about it, but Kostuilin was afraid.
"How can we run away ? — we don't know the road!" ”

“ I want to find herbs to cure your people. Come with me! I can't run away with this kolodka on my leg. And to-morrow I'll make you a bow and arrows."
So he persuaded the lad and they went together. The mountain did not seem far, but it was difficult going with the kolodka; he went on and on and it taxed his utmost strength. Wheh he got to the summit Zhilin sat down to take a good look at the place. To the south, behind the outhouse was a gully, a tabun [16] was roaming along there, and another aul was visible as a tiny point. ”

“ Look now! he shall be fed well and shall be respected."
"My comrade can do as he likes," said Zhilin, "no doubt he is rich, but I am not rich. What I have said that will I do. You may kill me if you like, but you will get little profit out of that — I will not write for more than five hundred roubles."
They were silent for a while. Suddenly Abdul leaped up and produced a small coffer, took out a pen, a piece of paper and ink, forced them upon Zhilin, tapped him on the shoulder, and, pointing to them, said: "Write !" ”

“ But the Tatars never give themselves away."
One day he chose a time when his master had gone away, and after dinner he went up the mountain behind the aul — he wanted to survey the whole place from thence. But when his master went away he had commanded a lad to follow Zhilin wherever he went and not lose sight of him. So the youngster ran after Zhilin, and cried: "Don't go! Father didn't tell you to. I'll call the people this instant." ”

“ Then all the Tatars went out and closed the door behind them.
After a little while the Nogaets came to Zhilin and said:
"Come along, master! come along!"
He also did not know Russian. It was p lain to Zhilin, however, that he was ordering him to come somewhither.
Zhilin followed him, still wearing the kolodka. He limped all the way, to walk was impossible, as he had constantly to twist his foot to one side. So Zhilin followed the Nogaets outside. He saw the Tatar village — ten houses, with their mosque which had a tower. Before one house stood three saddled horses. ”

“ Zhilin glanced at his horse. She, his dearly-beloved comrade, lay just as she had fallen, on her back, with kicking feet which vainly tried to reach the ground. There was a hole in her head, and out of this hole the black blood gushed with a hiss — for several yards around the dust was wet
One of the Tatars went to the horse and proceeded to take the saddle from her back. She went on kicking all the time, and he drew forth a knife and cut her windpipe. ”

“ He stayed there for a while, gave some orders to his labourer, and went off somewhither.
Next there passed by two children on horses which they had just watered. The horses' nozzles were wet. Then some more closely cropped youngsters ran by in nothing but shirts, without hose, and they collected into a group, went to the outhouse, took up a long twig and thrust it through the rift in the walL Zhilin gave such a shout at them that the children screamed in chorus and took to their heels, a gleam of naked little knees was the last that was seen of them. ”

“ Zhilin told them all that had happened to him, and said:
"You see, I was going home to be married. But no! — that is not to be my fate evidently! "
And so he continued to serve in the Caucasus.
As for Kostuilin, they only ransomed him three months later for five thousand roubles. They brought him in barelyalive.
↑ A Circassian sabre. ↑ A Tatar of the Nogai tribe. ↑ A mountain hut in the Caucasus. ↑ An earthen, bulging pitcher, with a narrow neck and a handle. ↑ A Tatar under-tunic ↑ I.e. — "Khorosho russ" = fine Russian man ↑ Half roubles. ↑ A small kuvshin. See preceding note. ”

“ They lifted the dead man beneath the shoulders and under the legs, bent him a little inwards, and slowly let him go, thrusting him in under the earth in a sitting position, and pulling his arms straight down close to his body. ”

“ She also wore trousers and slippers, and the inner slippers were protected by outer slippers with high heels. Round her neck she wore a necklace of Russian poltiniks [7] Her head was uncovered, her hair was black, and in her hair was a ribbon, from which dangled a metallic plaque and a silver rouble.
Her father gave her some orders. She ran out, and returned again immediately with a tin kuvshinchik. ”